This invention relates generally to a case for carrying darts and dart accessories. More particularly, it relates to improvements in a dart case designed to protect the flights of the dart, to carry the many accessories useful to players of dart games, and to hold the darts for display or when they are in use.
Numerous types of carrying cases for darts and dart accessories are known in the art. Darts generally are not made up of a point, a body which may further comprise a barrel and a shaft, and flights or feathers to guide the dart in flight. Although the dart may be a unitary assembly, darts of higher quality are made up of separable components including the points, barrels, shafts and flights. Other accessories and tools are also needed, so that if a dart becomes damaged, it can be repaired. Accordingly it would be desirable to have a dart case which holds not only darts, but also the numerous accessories, tools and implements which might be needed.
The flight is the most fragile part of the dart. Since the flight projects from the dart body and is generally comprised of feathers or thin flat plastic fins, many prior art dart cases have addressed the problem of protecting the flights. The flights or feathers generally are mutually perpendicular, projecting orthogonally from the dart body. The prior art dart cases have generally provided for a longitudinal insertion of the dart, point first, into a pocket, which includes a cruciform opening or series of mutually perpendicular slots to receive the flights when the dart is inserted.
Examples of the prior art include UK Patent Application 6B 2.225.569 A granted to Lee, published Jun. 6, 1990; British Patent Specification 1,429,798-Butterworth filed Jan. 25 1973; British Patent Specification 650,068-Kneale, published Feb. 14, 1951; Nelson U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,271 issued Jun. 1, 1976 and Jensen U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,610 issued Nov. 26, 1991. The latter patent discloses a dart box made up of two halves, which are permanently joined to receive longitudinally inserted darts. The Jensen patent also contains additional compartments for inserting dart accessories at the end of the carrying case and holding them with a cover.
Another problem which has been addressed by the prior art is to hold the darts so as to protect the points and yet leave the darts accessible for use. Various holding accessories have been disclosed, among these British Specification 1,342,579-Newman filed Feb. 17 1970; Braun U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,578 issued Sep. 27, 1988; and Henderson U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,365 issued Oct. 13, 1981. The latter Henderson patent comprises a box-like body with sockets to receive the spikes of the darts and hold them accessible for use.
The present invention offers an improved dart carrying case designed to protect the flights of the dart, to hold the darts accessible for use or display, and to provide the maximum available storage space for darts, and dart accessories such as parts and tools.
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide an improved dart case for protecting the flights during storage.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved dart case for displaying or holding the darts safely in a position ready for use.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved dart case for holding darts, as well as dart parts, accessories and tools.